Children at a community health event in Timor Leste, one of the locations where Health Alliance International has maternal-child health programs. Photo credit: Jessica Dyer (MPH '15), George Povey Fellow.

Connect: Global Health Resource Center

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Mental Health

The Program on Global Mental Health is a regional, interdisciplinary forum for research, training, and service-related activities to address gaps in the implementation of effective global mental health interventions. Mental health is a serious concern for global health:

Mental illnesses contribute to 7.4% of Disability Adjusted Life Years (analyzed as primary diagnoses).

Comorbid conditions such as depression and substance abuse can impact morbidity and mortality of various other conditions (e.g. HIV, Road Traffic Accidents, Preterm birth, Diabetes).

In Low and Middle Income Countries, 90% of individuals with mental health needs do not receive treatment.

Mental Health Overview

The University of Nairobi recently received a Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI)-linked award focused on research training in mental health. This three-year award, led by Dr. Muthoni Mathai from the University of Nairobi and Dr. Jurgen Unutzer from the University of Washington, builds upon the nearly 30-year research training collaboration between UW and the University of Nairobi. Dr. Deepa Rao is the UW program director. The project aims to:

Improve mental health research capacity at University of Nairobi by training faculty,

Train postgraduates in mental health research approaches, and

Establish a mental health research resource center at University of Nairobi.